Arthur Gore, 8th Earl of Arran

Arthur Gore, 8th Earl of Arran
Born (1910-07-05)5 July 1910
Died 23 February 1983(1983-02-23) (aged 72)
Resting place Luss Parish Church Cemetery, Luss, Argyll and Bute, Scotland

Arthur Gore, 8th Earl of Arran (5 July 1910 – 23 February 1983) was a British politician and the Conservative whip in the House of Lords. He is known for leading the effort in the House of Lords to decriminalise male homosexuality in 1967.

His father was Arthur Gore, 6th Earl of Arran, and he was the father of Arthur Gore, 9th Earl of Arran. He was affectionately known as “Boofy”.[1] In 1958 he succeeded his brother, who had reportedly committed suicide because he was gay,[1] to become the 8th Earl of Arran and became an active member of the House of Lords. He married Fiona Gore daughter of Sir Iain Colquhoun, 7th Baronet.[2] She was a speedboat racer and, like her husband, an animal rights activist.[3] The couple had homes in Hertfordshire and Scotland.

Arran was the sponsor in the House of Lords of Labour MP Leo Abse's 1967 private member's bill which, as the Sexual Offences Act 1967, decriminalised homosexual acts between two consenting adult men. He was of the opinion that ‘no amount of legislation will prevent homosexuals from being the subject of dislike and derision, or at best of pity’.[4] He also sponsored a bill for the protection of badgers, and was once asked why this effort had failed whereas decriminalising homosexuality had succeeded. Arran is reported to have replied: "There are not many badgers in the House of Lords."[5]

  1. 1 2 Bedell, Geraldine (24 June 2007). "Coming out of the dark ages". the Guardian. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  2. ↑ Steven, Alasdair (10 June 2013). "Obituary: Countess Arran, power-boat champion". The Scotsman. Johnston Press. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "The Countess of Arran". Daily Telegraph.
  4. ↑ Unequal Britain, Pat Thane, p.140
  5. ↑ Thomas, June (5 October 2016). ""A Terrible Propensity for Malice"". Slate. Retrieved 5 October 2016.

Sources

Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by
Arthur Paul John Charles Gore		 Earl of Arran
1958–1983		 Succeeded by
Arthur Colum Michael Connolly-Gore
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